Firestorm over Kronus
by thebloodymagpie
Summary: The story of the Blood Ravens' operations on Kronus, as written from the point of view of a First Company Terminator. Part of the Legacy of the Blood Ravens along with Battle Lines and Nothing But A List of Names to Mark His Ascension.
1. The Veteran

Brother Akileus shook his head, not for the first time that day, in abject disbelief.

He walked down the halls of the Battle-Barge Litany of Fury, still unwilling to believe that this was the fight they were going to fight. Of all the xenos, heretics and abominations still left on planet Kronus, the Blood Ravens on the ground were slowly but surely making their way towards the one possible ally they could have had on the planet. Slowly, but surely, the Blood Ravens were closing in on Victory Bay.

The Governor-Militant, Lucas Alexander, had demanded the Blood Ravens stand down and evacuate the planet. Akileus knew they could not. He had seen the relics underneath the Blood Ravens stronghold. He'd known the fury in Captain Thule's eyes when he ordered them all destroyed. Only Akileus, a select few Battle-Brothers who participated in the fighting, as well as the Captain himself, knew of the terrible secret that lay beneath Kronus, key to the history of the Blood Ravens.

When the Blood Ravens had refused to stand down, Alexander had marshaled his 1st Kronus Liberators in an attack on their stronghold. Though they'd been repelled by a well-timed Orbital bombardment fired from the Litany of Fury, it had only sparked a retreat back to Victory Bay for reinforcements. Then they'd try again, and again, until the Blood Ravens were retreating or dead.

So it had come to this. Captain Thule had ordered the Blood Ravens already on the ground to pursue Alexander back to Victory Bay to lay siege on the general's well-entrenched fortress, a bloody conflict that would stain the honor of both Blood Ravens and Kronus Liberators forever. No doubt this would rile the Inquisition. There would be questions, probably Inquisitorial oversight for a decade or two. He didn't dare contemplate it further.

"Does something bother you, Honored Brother Akileus?"

Akileus looked behind him at a familiar voice. Behind him stood a Space Marine, his hair a pitch-black. By his side was a sheathed power sword, and a plasma pistol in the other, and he was wearing a suit of gilded Artificier Armor, forged ages ago by one of the Chapter's most gifted artificiers.  
>Captain Davian Thule was a striking example of a Space Marine Captain. His very presence commanded respect from even those of the veteran First Company.<p>

Akileus nodded at Captain Thule, the motion made awkward by the limited head movement in his ancient suit of Tactical Dreadnought Armor, or Terminator Armor. He had long since lost his hair, to the eternal amusement of his fellow First Company veterans. They always joked that he was almost as bald as Captain Boreale.

"Yes, Captain. I know the Governor-Militant is a threat to our operations here, and I know we cannot give up any relics that may still lie buried underneath the ice of Kronus, but there are still so many other threats left. Orks, the thrice-damned Chaos Space Marines, the accursed Eldar, those living metal skeletons, the infernal Tau. Why is it that we go for the Governor-Militant first?"

"The situation demands it, Brother Akileus. He will hound us forever if we do not stop him dead in his tracks here. I do not like it any more than you do. Although if it's any consolation to you, Sergeant Avitus is happy", the Captain said, with a grin on his face.

Akileus couldn't help but smile. Sergeant Avitus was from a world known for its brutal Guardsmen. He would probably enjoy the slaughter they were going to carry out today. Akileus would not.

"Captain. I have a request."

"Ask away."

"I want to be released from my squad. I'd like to be put with the Scouts we brought here."

"Why is that, Brother Akileus?"

"Our Chapter is currently engaged in two conflicts: One here on Kronus, and one in the Kaurava System. Between us we've split up our Scout Company half in half. If our Scouts should be targeted both here and on Kaurava, our Chapter will nearly be extinct in the years to come. Plus, the sight of one of their oldest Brothers, a veteran of untold hundreds of campaigns, will no doubt be a great source of inspiration. They will no doubt have more second thoughts about this than any of our other Battle-Brothers. After all, they are yet new to our Chapter."

"Your argument is accepted, brother Akileus. Go forth with my blessing to support our Scouts. Before you go, however, I'd like you to requisition a weapon from the armory. Unless you intend to solve everything with your fists. You're with our snipers, I doubt you'll need to punch out tanks. You know how the saying goes."

"Walk softly", Akileus said, smiling at his Captain and brother. "And carry a big gun." 


	2. The Sergeant

The Scouts were busy listening to their Sergeant when Akileus arrived. As he approached, he noticed that Sergeant Nicolaus was field-stripping a sniper rifle, and teaching his initiates to do the same. A Scout Sergeant's work is never done, Akileus thought, as he entered the training hall, being forced to bow his head in order for the doorframe to accomodate his suit of Terminator Armor.

"Ah, brother Akileus. I was told you'd be joining my Scouts for this fight."

"I did.", Akileus said, standing up to his full height again. He dwarfed every man in the room in his giant hulking suit, and the Initiates were looking at him in awe. For them to be honored with the presence of a Battle-Brother of the revered First Company was an honor, indeed. They all knew they'd be fighting with him, and he could see the eagerness on their faces, hid as it was behind the years of combat experience these Scouts had already endured. They were the moral weak point of any Space Marine Chapter, those who still had a memory of their homeworld fresh in their minds. He pointed at the Scouts before turning his head towards the Sergeant, asking:

"How many of them have fired an Astartes sniper rifle before, outside of training?"

"All of them, Captain. Some of them even saw action on Tartarus. They're not as green as they may seem to be.", Nicolaus responded.

Akileus raised a brow. Tartarus had become one of the Chapter's most legendary campaigns, and had propelled Gabriel Angelos into prominence in the Chapter Council. His new weapon, the Daemonhammer God-Splitter had already become a legendary weapon, and one of the Chapter's most sacred relics.

"But you feel they need a few more battles under their belt before they are ready to don power armor?"

"Aye, brother, I do. But it will not belong before the Chapter as a squad of fine new Devastators."

"We'll see how the battle goes, first. I won't lie about what we're fighting, or why: We're fighting the Imperial Guard for violating the autonomy of the Space Marine Chapters. He believes he can command us, a snot-nosed boy general."

Of course, that was only half-true, but Captain Thule had promised that the secrets of Kronus would die with those that discovered it, and Akileus was not one to back down from that promise.

The Scouts nodded almost in unison. They had been schooled well, Akileus thought, to be able to mask their worry so well. Or perhaps they had truly steeled their hearts at the prospect of fighting Guardsmen.

"We will be moving out at 0630 tomorrow to secure a foothold on Victory Bay. Once we've secured a somewhat safe stronghold, we'll split into two battleforces, one mainly consisting of Davian Thule's own Fourth Company, as well as one headed by Captain Angelos' Third Company. The First Company, as well as the Chapter Honor Guard, will be split evenly amongst these two battlegroups. The Tenth Company elements will be sent into the western bogs. We know the Governor-Militant will keep his artillery there, and you're to take it out. Should you, however, encounter strong opposition, you will be equipped with a teleport homer. I will deep-strike in to stand by you, then. Remember, once we've secured the artillery as well as the main Imperial Guard stronghold within eastern Victory Bay, do not cross the bridge until we've found out what the crater in the center of the Bay is. We do not want to encounter any unexpected surprises."

"I've been wondering about that myself, brother. Do you have any idea of what it may be?" Nicolaus was always like this, asking poignant question after poignant question. Although not as natural a leader or as good a marksman as Cyrus, the almost legendary 10th Company Scout Sergeant, Nicolaus was nonetheless inquisitive, and was most at ease when he knew all the details. A valued asset in a leader, not necessarily in a Blood Raven, Akileus mused to himself.

"I do not know, and it doesn't concern the mission tomorrow."

"Who will join us on the surface, besides Captain Thule?"

"Captain Graius of the Honor Guard will be coordinating efforts along with Captain Thule. He'll be with the Third Company."

"And Captain Angelos?"

"He will be providing support from the Litany of Fury. This is Captain Thule's campaign, after all."

"Of course, brother." Nicolaus nodded. He'd given up on getting any more information out of his brother.

"I'll be briefing the other Scout squads now. Knowledge is power."

In unison, as if only one single, booming voice had spoken, the Sergeant and his squad responded: "Guard it well."

Akileus nodded as he left out the door. The Sergeant had instantly gone back to field-stripping his gun and telling his initiates to do the same, barely wasting a second.

Aye, thought Akileus, they'd make good battle-brothers indeed.


	3. The Librarian

"Worried, brother?"

Akileus heard the familiar voice behind him, turning his body around to look at Jerosus, one of the Lexicani assigned to the Kronus campaign. He was clad in his customary blue Librarian's robes, and in a sheath on his left he carried a Force Sword. On the other side, he carried a plasma pistol in a holster.

Akileus had never liked Jerosus. When he was first inducted into the Chapter's Lexicanum, he had witnessed the end of his closest friend and greatest rival, torn apart by demonic possession. This revelation had turned Jersosus into a dour and pessimistic warrior, estranged from his battle-brothers. Although the Blood Ravens revered Librarians, and sought to integrate them as much into the Chapter's doings and structure as possible, Jerosus acted aloof and distant, as if he was no brother of anyone.

"Hardly. Nicolaus has trained them well. Each of them will make a fine battle-brother, in time."

"That's assuming they've survived. They have been out of vox contact for a while now, haven't they?"

"That's only natural. They're down on the surface, on Victory Bay. We're here, in the teleportarium of the Litany of Fury. With that out of the way, why are you here, Lexicanum?"

"Captain Thule liked your idea of sending people to their deaths in teleporter accidents, so he assigned me to the second scout squad to go after the artillery emplacements. I'm to cover them with my powers while they eliminate the crews and allow our brothers to pass."

"I'm glad you place such faith in our young Scout brothers and my tactical prowess."

"I'd never doubt our young Scout brothers", Jerosus said, a smug grin on his face.

Akileus tried to shake his head, but restricted by the heavy helmet of a fully enclosed suit of Tactical Dreadnought armor, he could not move his head at all.

"So, has anything interesting happened below?" Jerosus asked.

"The Third Company division found a Baneblade in the Governor-Militant's vehicle production facilities to the southwest of our landing site. We lost a squad of assault marines and one squad of Devastators in the ensuing firefight." Akileus anwered. It had been a squad of his First Company brothers that had taken it down when they were teleported in armed with thunder hammers and storm shields.

"I see. How eventful." Jerosus shrugged, demonstrating that lack of brotherhood that Akileus found so unnerving about him.

Suddenly, the teleportarium flashed to life. On the pict-screen built into his Terminator armor, Akileus noticed the activation of a beacon. The Scout squads were in place to destroy the artillery. The first phase of Captain Thule's plan had been a success.

"I would love to stay and debate the finer methods of planning with you, Lexicanum, but duty calls."  
>"Don't let me keep you. I'm sure the Chapter won't mind losing a suit of Terminator armor, we can just have the Ultramarines gift us a new one."<p>

Akileus did not even bother to retort. With a sour taste in his mouth, the entered the teleportarium.

There was a flash, and he was standing in a marsh, surrounded by Scouts. They were pointing forward, towards something.

A few seconds later, he slowly rose up, taking extra care to ensure everything was in place. Traveling through the Warp was never an enjoyable thing, and it was rarely safe, either. He looked to where the Scouts were pointing, his enhanced senses further boosted by the sensors in his armor. About thirty metres ahead, he spotted it.

The Governor-Militant had placed six basilisks along a gun-line west of the main bridge into his stronghold, situated in marshland that was difficult enough to traverse, but also left lightly armored attackers vulnerable to fire along the way. These were the objective the Scouts had been sent here to destroy.

"Nicolaus, lead your squad to the left." He pointed to a small isle in the swamp, on which two basilisks rested, constantly firing and reloading, pounding the Blood Ravens in the distance with artillery shells. "Take out the basilisk on the left. Kill the crew. Don't begin picking them off until I've moved in to destroy the other. None of the Guardsmen defending it have plasma weaponry, so I should be fine on my own."  
>"As you wish, brother." Nicolaus nodded, and looked around. The Scouts had all listened in, and all were aware of the plan. They began moving through the swamp, camo-cloaks obscuring them, on the way to their target.<p>

Akileus, on the other hand, began moving forward, slowly. The hulking Terminator would probably have been heard for miles around if the Guardsmen weren't partially deafened from the constant artillery bombardment. It would be a little while yet before they heard him. He could use that to his advantage.

When he was close enough for his armor's sensors to detect Guardsmen, he revved his assault cannon. This was it.

He released the first salvo with devastating effects, the assault cannon dishing out solid projectiles so fast his eyes could not follow them, taking three Guardsmen by surprise and turning them into bloody mist. His squad mates stared in disbelief for a second before the one fursthest from Akileus pointed down to the hulking, Terminator-armored form in front of them, and they all took cover. One of them was yelling something, but Akileus could not hear it over the roar of his weapon.

Another salvo punched through the concrete cover a Guardsman had hid behind through sheer volume of fire. He did not get up again.

The Guardsmen started firing, their las-bolts occasionally hitting home, although most of them were repelled or stopped entirely by his armor. They'd have to try harder than that to penetrate his blessed suit.

He was close enough now that his feet finally met solid, albeit soft and muddy ground after walking through swamp water, and when another Guardsmen poked his head above cover to take a pot-shot, another burst left him without a head.

Suddenly, a Guardsman, presumably the sergeant, judging from his rank pins, broke from cover and ran towards him, bayonet braced. Akileus barely recognized him before bringing up the massive powerfist in his left hand, and punching forward. One half of the man remained on the ground, the other started flying towards the Basilisk, hitting the gun and smearing it in blood. The crew stopped firing and turned around in shock.

Akileus reached for the melta charge. He knew he was out to destroy tanks, so he had requisitioned two from the Chapter armory. He began walking towards the gun, lasbolts from the crewmen absorbed entirely by his Terminator suit, and threw the charge.

Upon contact with the main gun, the melta charge burst in a shower of white-hot plasma, and the tip of the gun fell off, separated from the artillery platform. He then took up his assault cannon again, and felled the crewmen.

The Guardsmen had long since fled, their morale broken at the sight of the grisly death of their officer and the destruction of the gun they were sent to protect, and were running through the swamp when Akileus lifted his assault cannon for the last time, sending a devastating volley of fire through the fleeting squad.

"SUFFER NO TRAITOR TO LIVE!" he roared, his Terminator suit giving his voice a strange, disjointed voice that must have sounded even more intimidating, for the Guardsmen who had not been hit by his assault cannon fire were running even faster now.

Little did it help them, for moments later, the last of them were lying dead, most of them with fatal head wounds. He looked to his left to see Nicolaus' squad, sniper rifles poised. Nicolaus nodded at him, as his vox suddenly sounded:

"Brother Akileus, the artillery emplacements here are gone. We killed the crew, and drove the remaining Guardsmen off. We could not finish off all of them."

"Very well. Have we heard news from the other Scouts?"

"Five out of six Basilisks have been destroyed. The last one is on the other side of the bridge, and out of our reach. We may have to find another way to destroy it."

"I may have an idea. I just need to contact Captain Thule. For now, I want you to return to headquarters with me. I'll need to find my squad."

"Did you find any gifts for our Chapter?"

"None that were Astartes-size."

"A grim sign. Perhaps there will be something at the Governor-Militant's base when we storm it."

"Perhaps. That's of no importance now, however."

"You're right. We'll be moving back to headquarters then. The Emperor protects."

"The Emperor protects" said Akileus, adrenaline still pumping through his veins.

Five out of six basilisks essentially meant the way to Lukas Alexander's base was clear. There would be nothing standing in their way. The Blood Ravens would descend on the traitor Governor-Militant like the hammer of the righteous. The Scouts had proven themselves beyond question; every single one of them had no doubt felled at least one Guardsman today.

A fine day in the Emperor's service, Akileus thought, if unfinished, for the traitor general still lived, and every second he remained alive was a risk to the Blood Ravens that he would re-marshall his forces and strike. Every second was a risk that the secrets of Kronus were revealed, and the Blood Ravens shamed for eternity.

There, those were the chapters I'd written beforehand. From here on out I'll try to add some (redundant) commentary to the zany exploits of Veteran Akileus.

This third chapter was the one that was hardest to write, and probably the only one that took a lot of conscious effort to write through. I hadn't written much combat up to this point (I'm quite rusty, I need to take some pointers from darkeldar, the guy who writes Nothing But a List of Names to Mark his Ascension in this regard) and my dog (my first pet) had just died at the age of four and a half after being run over by a car, so my concentration was already all over the place. That being said, I've grown quite fond of it, and I don't think it's completely awful.

Jerosus is a character from a fan fic I posted months ago on Tv Tropes (which was quite awful, so I shan't link it here) whom I decided to bring back, albeit with a slightly altered frame. He wasn't originally supposed to be this dour, but since I still had some repentance to do for that awful fic, I decided to dicker around with him a bit.

Anyway, that's the commentary for this installment. Any and all criticism (provided it's somewhat constructive) is ever welcome. 


	4. The Captain

"Brother Akileus, I've been waiting to speak to you."

The voice of Captain Thule was the first thing to greet Akileus on his way into the Blood Ravens' temporary stronghold on Victory Bay. It was a simple, square building, painted in the Blood Ravens' red, with the stylized raven with a single bloody teardrop in the middle, their Chapter symbol, painted on the drop pod guiding system above. These temporary headquarters were used by nearly every Space Marine Chapter in situations where prolonged campaigns were inevitable, the Blood Ravens being no exception. And although their fight with the Governor-Militant would be over soon, the Chapter still needed to purge Kronus of the real enemy; the Eldar, Tau, Orks, heretics and Necrons on the planet. There was still plenty to do.

"I'm glad to see your faith in the initiates was well-founded, Captain Thule. Five of the basilisks are destroyed, and the sixth is across the valley." Akileus said, upon disengaging the helmet of Terminator Armor. He preferred talking without the voice-distorting effects of the suit's helmet.

"I've heard. The other Scout Squads returned a while back to give a report. Jerosus gives a similar report to you. I've already devised a strategy to remove the basilisk, and perhaps gain us a foothold on the other side of the valley, once we discover what its nature is." The Captain looked slightly concerned as he said this. Something about a vegetation-less valley in the middle of an otherwise dense jungle unnerved him. What unnerved him as much was no doubt that the Imperial Guard did not use it for anything. Something did not sit right with him.

"Captain, I'd like to hear something else from you."

"Ask away, brother Akileus, and I will answe-"

Captain Thule was cut short by a vox-message.

"This is Fourth Company Sergeant Tarkus speaking. I've ill news, Captain Thule."

"Speak, Sergeant." The Captain furrowed his brows, obviously not enticed by the idea of bad news. Something about today's battle, no doubt the unexpected presence of the Governor-Militant's Baneblade gave him mixed feelings about today's victory. Akileus would have to be blind to not see the concern painted on Captain Thule's face.

"We've discovered a heavily fortified Imperial Guard base to the east of the bridge to Victory Bay. It's mostly infantry and light vehicles, but they could stage an attack on our stronghold at any time while we face the traitor Governor. I advise we destroy it as fast as possible." Tarkus' voice was taciturn and stoic. Of all the sergeants serving in the Blood Ravens' active roster, Tarkus was amongst the most calm and tactically sound. Akileus had no doubt that he would be promoted to the First Company soon.

"Very well. I'll have Captain Gaius put together a force for the task. Do you have any recommendations besides your own squad?"

"Devastator Squad Avitus, Captain. I'm sure Avitus would relish the chance to take to the battlefield once again."

"I refer to your judgement, Sergeant. Keep Avitus in check."

Akileus frowned. He did not know how to feel about Avitus. By all accounts, Avitus was the model of a Devastator Marine, equal parts precise and overwhelming in his application of firepower, and his squad had performed well, but his bloodlust and hatred of the Imperial Guard nonetheless made Akileus uneasy.

"Is something the matter, brother Akileus?" Captain Thule had disengaged his vox-link and was once more facing Akileus.

"Nothing, Captain, something about Avitus just makes me uneasy. His bloodlust seems…Excessive, at times."

"Thank the Emperor we're here to point him in the right direction, then." Thule said, a smile on his face. Akileus knew that Captain Thule trusted each of his battle-brothers in the Fourth Company implicitly, a relationship reflected in his Space Marines.

"Of course, Captain. Now, what was your plan to remove that last Basilisk?"

The smile on Captain Thule's face was much more visible now. "Oh, you'll like the plan, I assure you. It involves Vanguard Veterans."

Akileus feigned a groan. When not fighting in a blessed suit of Terminator Armor, he belonged to a Sternguard squad, the half of the First Company dedicated to medium-range firefights. Vanguard Veterans, on the other hand, specialised in the use of melee weapons. There was a friendly rivalry between the two wings of the First Company, and they always competed for glory.

"And what possible reason could you have for not sending in the competent half of the First Company?" he asked, in jest.

"I need those to boost our forces once the Basilisk is removed, as a Sternguard Squad. The bridge is relatively devoid of any cover against any lingering Imperial Guard heavy weapon emplacements, and I'd rather lose as few Marines as possible. I'll have us move across the bridge with Librarians erecting force domes to protect us against the worst of it, but I'd like to be sure those emplacements are removed, so I'll have two Terminator Squads deep-strike in as soon as we have accurate coordinates, one Assault Squad with Lightning Claws, and one squad with an Assault Cannon. The other squad of Vanguard Veterans, along with Captain Gaius, will eliminate the last Basilisk, and the other Sternguard Squad will act as fire support during our attack on the bridge. I want you in the squad teleporting in to eliminate the traitor general's heavy weapon teams."

"As you command, Captain. I do have two questions, however. First, what will the initiates be doing, and where will we attack?"

"I'll have Squad Nicolaus investigate the valley. The others will be issued sniper rifles and will help you remove the heavy weapon teams. We'll attack here, in the western part of the compound. Apparently the regiment there has been having issues with morale. Perhaps if we eliminate their morale officer, we can make them turn on the Governor-Militant. Besides that, there have been reports of enormous amounts of power concentrated in that region. I'd like to know what that is."

Akileus nodded. He saw no reason to interrogate his Captain any more. He had to find his veteran squad and prepare for the operation at hand. This long and unnecessary war against the Imperial Guard would be over soon. The Blood Ravens would rest easy.

And Akileus could rest easily, knowing the secrets of Kronus would die with the ones who had discovered them.

* * *

><p>Here we go, the fourth chapter.<p>

I enjoy writing dialogue, in case you hadn't already figured out. Of the three chapters I've written for this fan fic so far, most of them have been dialogue. That's not to say I don't enjoy writing big fights, don't get me wrong, but I've always found dialogue easier to chalk up.

The next chapter will no doubt wrap up this part of the fic. I'm not sure whether I want to go through with this for every one of the six enemy strongholds in Dark Crusade, as really, only three of them really interest me at the moment, the Chaos, Necron and Tau strongholds.

As usual, do feel free to leave critique.


	5. The Chaplain

Akileus praised himself for having the foresight to equip his helmet now. The roar from his never-ceasing assault cannon would no doubt have deafened him by now.

The attack had nearly gone south when it had been revealed what the valley, cutting down through Victory Bay had been - It was the little ground that remained after the testing of an Imperator-class Titan - Or more specifically, its weapon. The thing was the ultimate defense, a buried Titan cannon separating Victory Bay by any would-be invaders through a single white-hot burst of turbolaser fire. Two Tactical Squads who were attempting to cross the valley had been reduced to smoldering corpses, their power armor barely salvagable.

"Only in war are we truly faithful. Ever onward!"

The voice of Chaplain Mikelus brought him back to reality, and he hefted his assault cannon again, and three Guardsmen vanished in a hail of devastating high-impact shells. The Chaplain himself was busy fighting a squad that had attempted to surround him, every bash of his Crozius Arcanum putting a Guardsman down. Akileus was surprised he could even find time for oratory.

Around Mikelus stood two of the Vanguard Veterans, their power swords blazing as the tide of eager Guardsmen started to halt. Eventually, it stopped, with the disillusioned and broken soldiers running away in abject terror.

Up ahead, Captain Gaius was dueling the regiment's Commissar, an old grey-haired, grizzled man with scars across his face, clad in his uniform of office, a suit of black carapace armor with a cape and hat, wielding a simple power sword. In contrast, Gaius was wearing his gilded Power Armor, his face hidden behind his helmet, and on his arm was the Fist of the Father, one of the Chapter's oldest relics, dating back to the days of Azariah Vidya, Father of the Chapter. An exceedingly rare type of weapon outside of the Grey Knights, the Fist of the Father, a bronze-and-red power fist, contained psychic amplifiers meant to increase the psychic power of a given individual wielding it. Many Librarians had complained that Gaius was the one to hold it, for he had not a sliver of psychic potential.

Though the Commissar was deft, his fighting showing years of expertise fighting things no doubt as horrific as the sight of an eight feet tall power armored giant, as well as considerable experience fighting foes with more cumbersome weapons than his, Gaius clearly had the upper hand, blocking the Commissar's strikes with the storm shield in his left hand, picked to offset the weighty and unbalanced power fist, while wearing the old man out, awaiting the moment when the Fist of the Father would deal the killing blow.

The moment came soon after when the Commissar, attempting to deal a particularly vicious stab to Gaius' chest, attempting to circumvent the Storm Shield, threw himself off-balance when the power sword hit thin air. In one vicious upward punch, Gaius ripped the man's head form his shoulders, the head proceeding to roll over into the midst of a squad of Guardsmen, prompting them to also run away in terror. Some of them started to move towards the ruined trenchline that separated the area of the Governor's base that Akileus and his First Company brothers were in from the Governor's palace, as well as his heavily entrenched Leman Russ tanks. Almost instantly, the Guardsmen were torn aparty by battle cannon fire while attempting to navigate through the trench.

While the Guardsmen were busy attempting to move up on the trench to exact harsh vengeance on the Governor-Militant, or die in the attempt, Akileus' eyes darted to his squad mates around him, all of them resting and reloading their storm bolters for a moment as the rest of the Guardsmen of Lukas Alexander's Third Platoon opted to begin a mutiny. Though none of the Terminators were harmed, their armor was blackened and scorched from the hail of las-fire and heavy stubbers.

Soon after, the Assault Terminator squad joined them, their Lightning Claws drenched in the blood of their enemies. With them came Mikelus and the two remaining Vanguard Veterans. The three others, including the sergeant, lay dead atop a mound of dead soldiers, fighting 'til the end. Akileus' eyes underneath his helmet furrowed with fury when he noticed an absent power sword from the hands of one of the Marines. The Governor-Militant would pay for this.

"Well, we did accomplish what we came for" Akileus said, presenting the facts with a tint of humor in his voice that was nonetheless distorted by his Terminator Armor. Though the Titan Cannon's firing had left them without support, they had managed to destroy the Basilisk and the heavy weapon emplacements in the area with minimal casualties.

Before anyone had a chance to answer him, the built-in vox in Akileus' helmet started generating static, and soon enough, the voice of Captain Thule could be heard:

"Brother Akileus, please respond."

"Captain Thule", Akileus immediately replied. "We have all arrived safely. The last Basilisk is destroyed. Bar our little problem with the Titan cannon, I believe it should be safe to cross now", he said, attempting to mask his unease with dry wit.

"Casualties?" came the reply.

"Brother Serathot, brother Beresul and Sergeant Gautier , Vanguard Veterans all. Both Terminator squads are at full strength, and Captain Gaius is unharmed."

"Very well. While we were attempting to establish contact with you, Captain Angelos and the Techmarines above the Litany of Fury have managed to locate the power source powering the Titan Cannon. If these maps and scans are correct, you should be strictly west of the installation. They have established a makeshift power plant using the planet's own geothermal energy to power the cannon. I need you to destroy the installation."

"It will be done, Captain Thule. However, we may need reinforcements if we're to undertake this mission. Do we have any squads in orbit?"

"Tactical Squad Tarkus and Devastator Squad Avitus have yet to be deployed. Will this suffice?"

"It...Will do, Captain Thule. Equip Avitus' squads with missile launchers. Tarkus' squad choose their own loadout."

In truth, Akileus was loath to work with Avitus. Though Avitus was a prodigal Devastator Sergeant, and it was safe to say that his promotion to the First Company would not be overlong, his aggression and deep-seated hatred of everyone who was not a Space Marine irritated Akileus to no end. He would not celebrate the day that he would have to teach Avitus how to use Tactical Dreadnought Armor.

"They will be with you in three minutes, Akileus. Captain Gaius supports your idea. Move towards the power plant as fast as you can. "

"As you say, Capta-"

Akileus was cut short by the rumbling of engines. From the south-west came three Chimaera transports, no doubt reinforcements from the power plant, sent to reinforce the company that was now in the middle of mutiny. Akileus revved his assault cannon, waiting for the transports to get in range. One good barrage would make short work of the transport.

As the Chimaeras started closing up on the Space Marines, their multilaser turrets started firing, and the air began to snap in the characteristic noise of las-shots. Wise enough to know that their las-rounds would do little to nothing against Akileus and his Terminator-armored brothers, the transports focused their limited fire on his power-armored brethren, hoping for a lucky shot.

As the rain of multilaser fire began skimming over his power armor, Captain Gaius activated his jump pack, and the Vanguard Veterans with him quickly followed suit. He was already lifting the Fist of the Father high in the air, bracing himself for impact. The impact came soon after when he landed on one of the Chimaeras, its top hatch almost coming off from the impact of a one-ton Space Marine landing on top of it. He ceremoniously lifted the Fist of the Father high into the air and brought it crashing down on the front of the transport, halting it completely in its tracks after the front half of the chassis nearly separated itself from the back half. Out of the gaping holes in the tanks came twelve Guardsmen, running away from the burning husk of their armored carrier as quickly as possible.

Akileus lifted his assault cannon now, and once more the dull rhythm of assault cannon fire and the noise of the assault cannon's several barrels firing out hundreds, if not thousands of shells a second filled his body, tempering his already calm mind. He was always in perfect clarity when firing a weapon.  
>Ahead, he saw the second Chimaera halt in its tracks under the overwhelming volley of shells being fired at it. Soon enough, he also began to notice the effects of his volley, as several large holes began appearing in the Chimaera's front armor, sending out wisps of smoke with ever larger frequency. Eventually, the thing seemed to halt in its tracks, stopped if not destroyed, and another squad of Guardsmen hurried out, taking cover behind what remained of their transport. Soon enough they started taking pot-shots and whatever they could see, and the whine of las-rounds returned. Though a good many shots found their mark, none of them could penetrate the heavy armor of the Terminators.<p>

At the same time as the second Chimaera stopped, Captain Gaius and his Vanguard Veterans crashed down on the squad of Guardsmen that had fled the wrecked transport. Six of them went down when the impact landed, and three more were swept off their feet. The three remaining attempted to charge the Space Marines with their bayonets, but Captain Gaius deflected one attack with his Storm Shield before punching the Guardsman in the chest with his power fist. Soon enough, the Guardsman's body went flying back, his head flying in a parallel gory arc above its body. Besides him, one Vanguard Veteran had already finished off his quarry. The other fought a duel with the squad's sergeant. Though they exchanged blows for a long time, power sword clashing against chainsword in a shower of sparks, the chainsword eventually buckled and broke under the weight of the power weapon, and the blade broke in half. The Vanguard Veteran kicked the sergeant to the ground then, jumping on top of him to cut his throat and end it.

Meanwhile, the Assault Terminators were closing with the second Guardsmen squad out in the open, their lightning claws flashing. All of a sudden, however, a roar came overhead, and suddenly, the massive form of a Drop Pod came down on the last remaining Chimaera, sending debris and parts flying everywhere as the thing came apart in a colossal explosion. Out of the hatches soon came Tactical Squad Tarkus. Tarkus himself lead the charge, his squad banner on his back, hefting a combi-melta that soon began to reap a bloody tally amongst the only remaining Guardsmen, hiding behind their Chimaera, but in full view of Tarkus' fire. His squad followed suit, a flamer-hefting Marine taking out three Guardsmen with a brief gout of promethium before the Assault Terminators, spearheaded by Chaplain Mikelus, charged.

"NONE SHALL FIND US WANTING!" the Chaplain yelled, hefting his Crozius Arcanum to bash off the head of the first Guardsman. He barely even managed to finish his battle cry before the Terminator veterans between their heavy armor and strong arms had finished off whatever Guardsmen remained after Tarkus' bloody tally had been reaped.

"Good to see you, sergeant Tarkus." Akileus said.

Tarkus nodded. Akileus had always been impressed with the calm stoicism of Tarkus. Even before he had been promoted to Sergeant some decades ago, the Tactical Marine had a reputation for stoicism and calm. In a way, he was the perfect counterpoint to Avitus, and the two worked exceedingly well together, in spite of their differences, Tarkus' calm stoicism balancing out Avitus' bloodlust. No doubt when Avitus made the jump to the First Company, Tarkus would not be far behind.  
>"Avitus' drop pod will be deploying in a few minutes. There was a mishap with the Drop Pod, though the Techmarines are working as fast as they can to fix it. It should not be long."<p>

"I see you brought the heavy weapons as well." Now that Akileus had had a better chance to look at Tarkus' squad, he saw that one of them was hefting a lascannon. The heavy weapon would no doubt be a great boon against the inevitable squadron of Leman Russ tanks. The only thing that would not have gone amiss was a melta gun, but he had let Tarkus judge, and since they did not know how much infantry they would face, Tarkus had chosen versatility.

"I did not know what we would face, so I brought heavy weapons to bear. With any hope, it will not go amiss" Tarkus said. He nodded at Captain Gaius and Mikelus as they joined them.

"It will not, Sergeant Tarkus." Mikelus said, striding forward with confidence in his step. "No matter what the enemy might bring to bear, we will overcome it. We are the Emperor's favored sons, and none shall find us wanting."

"None shall find us wanting", everyone echoed.

Akileus hefted his assault cannon once more as Captain Gaius gave the order to fall in. They would wait for Avitus and then proceed onwards to the power plant.

"None shall find us wanting", Akileus mumbled to himself, his helmet vox switched off. He contemplated the sight of the battle, the corpses of all the Guardsmen, lying in enormous pools of blood, and he lamented, once more, that this needed be done. He only hoped shutting off the power plant would make the Governor-Militant surrender. Then, at least, there'd be no more bloodshed.

* * *

><p>Wow, that took longer than it had any right to. Hi, everyone!<p>

I had major writer's block for a while (mediocre grades in school tend to do that, even when I know why they're mediocre), so I wrote up this chapter to try and see if I could finally get over it. This, as well as Ghost Walker, is what I've produced in the meantime. If you haven't checked out Ghost Walker (my second story here on , might be a regular thing), feel free to check it out!

I do think I have a bit of a problem with combat scenes in that they're not descriptive enough. I don't think I'll ever go to the gorn level of description, but I do think they could use a bit of improvement in the prose. darkeldar does this much better than I do, and I'll probably take a page out of his book for the next chapter.

There'll most likely be two more chapters of this before I go on to doing another Stronghold mission, probably either Necrons or Chaos. I've something special planned for Eliphas the Inheritor.

As always, criticism and commentary is -very- welcome.


	6. The Devastator

"Power plant spotted about a kilometre from your position, brothers."

Captain Gaius' voice was calculating and matter-of-fact. This was, in Akileus' eyes, the damning quality and the greatest strength of the 1st Company Captain. He was a vicious, emotionless fighter, jaded by hundreds of years of warfare and a fitting contrast to the often boisterous nature of Apollo Diomedes, who took control of the Chapter Honor Guard. However, this calm, matter-of-fact demeanor sheltered and nurtured a vicious side of his personality. Indeed, he was one of the most vocal supporters when the time came to decide whether to attack the Governor-Militant or not.

Of course, Gaius was still a competent commander, as expected by all Space Marines to hold such high ranks, and Akileus would follow his Captain to the ends of the galaxy, but he did not feel the same way about the First Company Captain as he did more emotionally driven Captains, like Davian Thule or Diomedes.

The two Terminator squads were leading the formation across the ruined military camps and mounds of debris that made up the vast majority of this region of Victory Bay. Behind them strode Squad Tarkus and Chaplain Mikelus, taking advantage of the bulk of their Terminator-armored brethren to minimize casualties amongst the power armored battle brothers. They'd heard reports of Leman Russ tanks in the region. On top of that, the power plant was sure to be well-defended by the Governor's most trusted soldiers. This would be the hard part.

Akileus began to pick up the pace as much as his Terminator-armored frame could bear, and soon after, his brothers did the same. Tarkus' squad and Mikelus had no trouble following, armed in normal power armor as they were. Akileus was almost beginning to miss his own suit.

"Tell me something, Sergeant Tarkus."

Tarkus looked at Akileus' back as the Veteran spoke.

"Yes, brother Akileus?"

"Why did you find yourself above the Litany of Fury? Did Captain Thule opt to keep you in reserve?"

"No, brother. I had escorted Avitus' squad back from a disastrous ambush. Our assault upon the main encampment east of the crater did not go as well as intended. Avitus' squad was cut down by the combined fire of six heavy weapons teams. He survived an autocannon round himself before we could extract him. His squad has been restored to full strength with reserves from Captain Angelos' Third Company, and are back to full strength. He will most likely have to accept new Battle-Brothers for his squad when this campaign is over."

"I see." Akileus said. This did not bode well. This loss would only serve to deepen Avitus' animosity and hatred for the Imperial Guard.

"Do not worry, brother Akileus. I will ensure Avitus' bloodlust won't be a problem on this mission."

"I trust your judgement in this, sergeant."

"Your faith in your brothers is an inspiration to us all, brother Akileus", Mikelus said, pride in his voice.

* * *

><p>Akileus was impressed. He'd imagined a series of vaguely interconnected plasma generators built haphazardly and without any seeming thought to their construction. What he was met with was a series of professionally lined-up plasma generators, each providing power directly to the Titan Cannon. They'd have to take each and everyone one down before they'd truly power down the cannon.<p>

What impressed him even more as he stood there, barely two hundred yards from the power plant, was the line of Guardsmen who had already prepared for their arrival. In front of them were rows and rows of Guardsmen, probably two hundred in total, huddled behind well set-up sandbags and barricades, exposing as little as possible, lasguns and grenade launchers pointing above the sandbags. Behind them were three Leman Russ tanks, one of them brandishing an enormous plasma cannon. An Executioner, thought Akileus. This would be difficult. The plasma cannon mounted on the tank would shear right through even Terminator Armor.

"In hindsight, perhaps it would have been preferable to use Storm Shields" one of the Assault Terminators said, a lightness of tone in his heavily distorted voice.

"Perhaps", Akileus responded "but at least this way you will have to move towards the enemy fast. Mikelus, would you please recite the oath of the Blood Ravens before we go?"

Mikelus started laughing, powering his Crozius Arcanum and yelling at the top of his voice, augmented by the black skull helmet that was his second symbol of office:

"My armor is Contempt. My shield is Disgust. My sword is Hatred. In the Emperor's Name, LET NONE SURVIVE!"

As he finished the last sentence, Mikelus and the Assault Terminators surged forward, and Akileus revved his assault cannon. He was out of range of the Executioner, but perhaps he could make the Guardsmen bleed a little before the Assault Terminators reached their lines. The instant the Assault Terminators came within range of the Guardsmen's lasguns, they started flaring, the cracking shots of almost two hundred simultaneously fired lasguns making it appear as one bright, powerful beam surging towards the Terminators, who remained unfettered by the volume of las-fire.

"Squad, split up. Brother Ahvon, keep that lascannon firing. The faster we can bring down those tanks, the better." Tarkus' voice was hard to hear over the deafening noise of assault cannon fire, Akileus' ever familiar instrument of destruction scything down ten Guardsmen in one volley. Suddenly, the first lascannon blast fired from behind him, though the shot went wide.

Tarkus' combat squad started moving then, keeping as great a pace as they could as to avoid the regular Leman Russ tanks and their blasts. Even a Leman Russ' standard cannon could easily dispose of a Marine if struck, and Tarkus would need to get up close for the flamer in his squad to be worthwhile. They fired as they moved, taking pot-shots at the Guardsmen who were now engaged with Mikelus and the Assault Terminators.

That particular fight was less like a battle and more like a slaughter. Mikelus' words were audible across the battlefield, and the strikes of his Crozius Arcanum hit their mark every time. The Assault Terminators around him were no slouches either, their Lightning Claws quite capable of scything through the Guardsmen with almost contemptuous ease.

However, the Executioner was nearing its mark. This was, if anything, the greatest strength and weakness of the Imperial Guard. As the average Guardsman was worth notably less than destroying a full squad of Terminators, the Executioner was free to fire on the Assault Terminators, though it would undoubtedly destroy much higher numbers of its own allies. The Guardsmen were little more than living obstacles to keep the Terminators in place for the Russ to take the shot.

The Executioner charged up its first shot, and although the shot went wide, one of the Assault Terminators went down, along with at least fifteen nearby Guardsmen. The second shot took another of Akileus' First Company brothers, down, but miraculously still alive, and the third went wild, obliterating little more than a line of sandbags. Still Mikelus and the Terminators fought on, unfettered by the loss of their brothers. If anything, it only inflamed Mikelus, who seemed to be attacking even faster now.

At that moment, Captain Gaius and his Vanguard Veterans joined the bloody melee, crashing into a group of Guardsmen, Gaius swinging the Fist of the Father in gory arcs, protecting himself with his shield, and his Vanguard Veterans fighting back-to-back behind him, their power swords crackling with every strike, a Guardsman falling at their feet with every violent riposte.

In that instant, another lascannon blast flared, and this time, Ahvon's lascannon found its mark - the now exposed side armor of one of the Leman Russ tanks. The blast scythed straight through the tank, and a violent blast soon ensued, the tank exploding from the inside out. The blast took three Guardsmen with it, and slowly but surely, the Guard's numbers were reduced.

Akileus' squad were finally in range to fire, and soon enough the scything blades of the melêe were complimented with the hymn of storm bolter fire and the roar of Akileus' assault cannon, scything through anyone foolish enough to leave their sandbag posts. Soon enough, one squad gave a full retreat after seven went down in a hail of bolt shells in seconds.

Suddenly, a roar came from overhead as a Drop Pod landed close to where Ahvon's combat squad was placed. Out came five Space Marines, four of them hefting missile launchers, none of which took very long to start finding targets amongst the Guardsmen, bombarding them with frag missiles. The last of the Marines hefted another lascannon, his grey-haired face exposed to the elements. His teeth were gritted, and the look in his eyes would kill a mortal man. Avitus had arrived now, of that there was no doubt.

A combined blast from Avitus and Ahvon's lascannons soon brought down the Executioner. Even the formidable front armor of a Leman Russ chassis was no match for two concentrated blasts in such quick succession, and the tank soon began smoking from the hull, forcing the crew to evacuate. As they desperately tried to flee their burning tank, they were shot down by concentrated bolter fire, and Akileus noticed Tarkus' squad, now having moved close enough to the sandbags to start using the flamer. Soon after, a gout of promethium set another six Guardsmen on fire, and set the remainder of their squad running between the hammer of Tarkus' flamer and the anvil of Mikelus' deadly Terminator assault.

At that moment, however, the last Leman Russ tank, a normal chassis, took note of Tarkus' squad and fired another round, determined to bring at least some of its adversaries down. The shot was fired as if blessed by the Emperor, and three of Tarkus' squad mates were instantly hurled back, two of them dead on the spot, and the last breathing, but unstable. Only Tarkus and the flamer marine remained.

In that instance, Tarkus lifted his combi-melta and fired, a gout of vaporized air making a line between him and the tank. The instant the shot struck, smoke began rising from the main gun of the tank, and though it was not destroyed, it was effectively a non-threatening entity, having no sponsoned weapons to speak of. This time, the terrified crew stayed inside, no doubt wishing not to suffer the wrath of the no doubt very aggravated Tactical Sergeant outside their tank. This turned out to be a sound move as Tarkus turned his back to the tank and pointed towards the few Guardsmen still dueling the Assault Terminator squad. His squad mate lifted his flamer once more, and one last wave of promethium sent the last of the Guardsmen running.

Regrouping did not take long after that. When they regrouped, Akileus noticed the numerous dents and scorch marks from bayonet strikes and lasgun shots on his fellow Terminators, and on Mikelus. The fighting had taken its toll on all of them. Especially the initial volley seemed to have done more damage than intended, and their armor was heavily scorched in places. The Techmarines would have a field day littering the squad with complaints about their disregard for the sacred armaments of war that they wore, Akileus mused. They would not let even their eldest brothers get away with such flagrant acts.

"Captain Thule, can you request for immediate Apothecary deployment to our position? We have wounded here who may be salvaged yet. Either that, or send a Thunderhawk for immediate extraction."

"Confirmed. I will send a Thunderhawk to pick up the wounded and deliver you to me. I'm granting you some melta charges from the armory to destroy the facility. Once you've ensured its destruction, board the Thunderhawk and report to me. Thule out."

* * *

><p>Akileus sat in the cargo bay of the Thunderhawk, his eyes darting over what remained of the task force with his own eyes, having removed his helmet inside the transport, where he was convinced no danger would find him. Of the five Vanguards, five Assault Terminators, five Terminators, ten Tactical Marines, and five Devastators that had originally embarked on the mission, ignoring Mikelus and Gaius, both of whom were alive, two Vanguards, four Assault Terminators remained, though one was in critical condition and it would be days before he would fight again, eight Tactical Marines, and five of his own squad mates remained, as well as Avitus' squad, which had also suffered no casualties.<p>

Below him, he knew, what little remained of the power plant burned, the melta charges having levelled the plasma generators. The titan cannon would fire no more, and the Space Marines could now safely cross the valley and engage the Governor-Militant's last forces. Akileus could smell the victory. The boy general had been ill-prepared for fighting Space Marines, and the delay caused by the Titan Cannon had only lasted so long. They were coming up on the last leg of the journey.

Akileus' thoughts of regret had been erased now. Only the desire to finish the fight was left, the determination to end this slaughter of a campaign, and move on to fighting the true enemy who dwelled on Kronus. To take the last leg of one journey only to embark on another campaign of bloodshed and war in the Emperor's Name.

The desire to see Lukas Alexander broken so the Blood Ravens' secrets would be kept with those who had witnessed it. Secrets who would die with them.

* * *

><p>And so the second-to-last bit of the Lukas Alexander arc comes to an end. From here on out it's going to be C:SM and Necrons, oh my!<p>

More fighting, good lord. I've managed to do two fighting chapters in a row and keep them at somewhat consistent quality. I actually think this was one of the more fun ones to write, though I still think I have a general issue with balancing out the battle so it actually seems like this is a challenging fight rather than the greatest curbstomp fight in the history of 40k. Hopefully I can fix some of those issues when we get to the Chaos arc.

As always, constructive criticism is looked upon with reverence. Trolls die in shame.


	7. The General

"Chaplain Mikelus. I am glad to see so many of you alive and well."

Captain Thule and his Command Squad were standing outside the Thunderhawk's bay doors as Akileus and his squad disembarked. They were all decked in their decorated power armor, and they carried a variety of weapons, though it was Captain Thule who was the most recognizable. Though he wore the same suit of gilded Artificer Armor that he had worn throughout the whole campaign, today the armor was not only fitted with every medal, honor and purity seal Captain Thule had earned throughout his long campaign, but it seemed that long hours with sacred unguents and maintenance had granted the armor and almost unnatural shine. If there was any doubt that Davian Thule would be leading this charge from the front, it had completely evaporated from Akileus' mind.

On Captain Thule's right stood Endymion, his protegée and second in command of the Fourth Company, leaning against his inactive Thunder Hammer. Draped around his shoulders was a long crimson cloak. Though some might see that as a display of extravaganze or vanity that a man in Endymion's position should not bear, nobody disagreed with the results of having an adamantine mantle when you were attempting to charge into close combat with an already heavy weapon.

Behind Endymion, draped in the armor fit for his rank, stood Ajas, the company champion, combat shield placed on his back and his custom-crafted power sword was sheathed on his hip. Ajas had served as company champion for almost as long as Davian Thule had held the captaincy, an unusually long lifespan for a company champion, who were often forced to fight the greatest fighters amongst the enemy so the Captain would be free to coordinate the battle. However, no-one could deny that Ajas was a superb warrior.

The warrior who stood on Davian Thule's left side needed no introduction to any man of the Fourth Company. Gordian was another long-lived addition to the legacy of the Fourth Company, both as the medical officer attached to the command squad, as well as in his capacity as the master of the Strike Cruiser Retribution's Apothecarion. Akileus contemplated the instrument on Gordian's arm, the tool of an Apothecary's trade, and melancholy seemed to strike him for a second. No doubt Gordian would have use for his reductor many a time before this battle was over.

Rounding up the group were Hector and Castor, the Standard Carrier and the last veteran rounding up the Command Squad respectively. Hector was a ponderous marine, his armor almost completely without ornament. Not a single purity seal or honor badge was visible on his body. Hector had always shunned such ornamentation, calling it unnecessary when stories of the squad's exploits would be shared amongst the Fourth Company regardless. All the honors he wanted to display, he said, were those of the Fourth Company.

Castor was chosen for the command squad primarily because of the Marksman's Honor that he proudly displayed on his shoulder. Castor's accuracy with a plasma gun was the stuff of legends, and the tally of enemies he's left in his wake with short bursts from his weapon of choice had become the stuff of Fourth Company legend, and the only thing keeping Castor from a promotion to the ranks of the Chapter's Sternguard was the fact that he was serving in the Command Squad, and that he seemed content to keep his position in it. In contrast to Hector, Castor showed every medal earned on his campaigns with pride, having proudly boasted that one day his armor would outshine his Captain's.

Mikelus was the first out of the Thunderhawk, nodding at Captain Thule as he exited. Mikelus was another protegée of Thule's, and before Mikelus had been seconded to the Reclusiam, he seemed to be his natural successor, as well. It was only natural, then, that he had been chosen as the Fourth Company's Chaplain when his training had finished not long ago.

"I'm glad to see so many of you returned alive. Of course, I'd expected nothing short of a miracle from the First Company."

Captain Gaius stepped out of the Thunderhawk that moment, briefly nodding to Captain Thule before marching off, his accompanying Vanguard Veterans in tow.

"No doubt he's looking to replace his losses. Perhaps after today's fighting, we'll have the making of at least one Vanguard Veteran to substitute for the ones lost. Of course, they will not be the only casualties today."

"Such are the demands of war, Captain Thule. I believe it's only worse because this war is pointless" Akileus said, his distorted voice melancholic.

"Aye, aye, I believe you're right. I believe you should head to the armory, the Techmarines will no doubt want to run maintenance on your armor and weaponry before the attack, and I'd like to have a word with you and your squad mates."

Akileus nodded. Though their armor had held and was largely intact, parts of them were charred from flame and large volumes of las-fire. However, Akileus held no doubts that the Techmarines would do their utmost to repair the suits. Davian Thule's message had been all too clear. The big push was about to begin. Tonight, Governor-Militant Lukas Alexander would die.

* * *

><p>Thule's plan was simple, but genius. The Governor's Palace had been installed on top of a heavily fortified hill. On the left was an impassable forest, on the right was the crater of the now-defunct Titan Cannon. Upwards was an army of Imperial Guardsmen, dug in with heavy weapons, tanks, and artillery. This was exactly the sort of combat Space Marines were trained for.<br>Akileus was no stranger to war, but even a veteran like he had to feel the awe of two Space Marine companies working as tightly interwoven. Tactical Squads advanced, covering any Guardsmen who dared stick their heads up in heaps of bolter fire, seeking cover only when they had to reload, or an Assault Squad flew in to engage and destroy the last remnant of the Guard squad unlucky enough to feel the Tactical Marines' wrath. Devastator Squads laid down complex webs of suppression fire, heavy bolter shells more than encouraging the guardsmen to seek cover whenever possible, leaving them easy pray for assaults from overhead.

Though it was not only here that the great synergy of this type of warfare made itself evident. Behind the advancing line of Space Marines rapidly moving up, engaging anything in their path, Whirlwinds sent incendiary Castellan missiles flying into the air, finding dug-in heavy weapon emplacements and flushing their operators out of cover, often incinerating them in the process. The ones not killed by this barrage of flame were finished off quickly by autocannon fire from the Chapter's Predators once they left their cover. A single Vindicator tank, a Tactical Squad on each flank, had already claimed three bunkers, its Demolisher Cannon making short work of the heavy rockrete buildings and their occupants.

However, the most inspiring sight was Davian Thule himself. His Command Squad and himself, along with the remaining Assault Veterans, now all clad in Terminator Armor and armed with thunder hammers and storm shields, were at the very front of the advancing army of Marines, each of them reaping a bloody tally on anyone foolish enough to engage him. When he was not cutting down enemies underfoot with his power sword, Captain Thule's plasma pistol found its mark. Castor fired blast after blast of plasma, each one finding a mark, and each one a certain kill. Mikelus and Endymion stood on each side of their Captain, cutting down anyone attempting to flank him, Mikelus shouting oaths throughout the whole ordeal, though his words were lost on Akileus from this far away. Ajas stood next to Mikelus, his strikes as precise and deadly as ever.

"Squad Akileus, Squad Nicolaus, lascannon emplacements three hundred yards in front of you. See that they are eliminated."

Captain Thule's voice rouse Akileus from his moment of awe, and the Terminator saw his sergeant waving him along. He turned around and nodded to Nicolaus' squad, though he was certain that the Scout Sergeant had gotten the message. And sure enough, the Sergeant and his squad moved up, careful to constantly be moving behind Akileus and his squad, the heavily armored Terminators acting as walking cover for the less-armored Scouts.

A moment later, Nicolaus and his squad were poised to shoot, and as their volley went off, Akileus saw the Guardsman operating the heavy weapon fall down, a shot from an Astartes sniper rifle through his skull. When faced with marksmanship of that calibre, the surviving Guardsmen immediately took cover, and the lascannon emplacement fell silent. Moments later, a nearby Assault Squad jumped into the trench to silence any remaining heavy weapons, and soon enough, the advance was cleared.

Yet Akileus was wary. Though the Guard had put up heavy resistance, they had yet to engage them with anything but artillery. Though the artillery had already caused losses amongst his brothers, Akileus knew that they were not even firing on full capacity. The Governor-Militant was biding his time, sending his men in as a distraction. There was something else going on - perhaps a tank push?

"Captain Thule, I notice a disturbing absence of tanks in the enemy's ranks" he exclaimed over his vox-unit.

"Confirmed, brother Akileus. Our airborne Thunderhawk just informed me that there are tanks moving along the Titan Cannon's crater. Do not worry, I have accounted for their presence, and the Techmarines and I have prepared a surprise for the Governor-Militant. We are just waiting for his entire armored convoy to pass into the crater. You needn't concern yourself with the tanks yet. Focus on moving up and taking out any heavy weapon emplacements who could be a threat to the armored spearhead or your Scouts. Thule out." Davian Thule's reply came swiftly, and the audio was clear enough for Akileus to hear the death screams of the Guardsmen the Captain had been engaged in combat with. He even caught a bit of one of Mikelus' impromptu battle cries, the words "AND THEY SHALL KNOW NO FEAR" being quite audible.

Akileus shook his head and motioned for Nicolaus and his squad to follow. Five carapace-armored bodies, barely visible underneath the expertly crafted camo-cloaks every Scout was draped in. The Chapter would have to thank the Ghost Walkers for their generous donation to the Blood Ravens at some point.

"What now, brother Akileus?" Nicolaus asked, the fires of battle raging all around them. Another bunker just behind them was demolished by the Vindicator, and the Assault Squads were busy finishing up another trench.

"We stand before an impasse, my friend. We have two choices on how to proceed here" Akileus said. Then, he pointed to the forest on the west, directly across the battle lines. "Your squad can move through the battlezone to the outer treeline and proceed to eliminate heavy weapon emplacements from there." He then pointed towards the main line. "Or you can join me and my squad on the offensive. We've been ordered to join our fellow First Company Veterans, currently engaging the enemy as Sternguard. We plan to cover their advance while they eliminate the enemy Stormtrooper regiments. Their Kraken bolts are strong enough to penetrate the enemy's carapace armor, and with our formidable suits of armor in front, we should be able to halt the Stormtroopers before they find a solid defensible position from which to wreak havoc upon our forces. I believe we even have a Librarian with us."

"In that case, I opt to go with you, brother. We will continue with our task of taking the heads of any enemy heavy weapons or leader sticking their heads out too far" Nicolaus said, a hint of a smile on his face.

* * *

><p>"Brother Akileus, how glad I am to see you." The Sternguard veteran's face was covered by a red-grey veteran's helmet, painted with laurels on his head, but his voice spoke of great strain. Even the might of the First Company could be sorely tested, and this seemed to be one of those times.<p>

The Guardsmen in front of them had had too much time to dig in. A squad of Kasrkin Stormtroopers had added their fire to that of their Guard brethren, and the Sternguard were forced to take cover and fire pot-shots at the enemy, knowing that one solid volley of hot-shot lasgun fire could easily bring them down. They needed a break.

Akileus lifted his assault cannon that instant, but before he even got the launch his first volley, three Kasrkin went down, holes through their flimsy face-masks dripping blood after being faced with the impact of of sniper fire. The remaining Stormtroopers were now the ones to keep their heads down, giving the Sternguard a chance to switch ammunition.

The volley of dragonfire rounds that followed was devastating to the Guardsmen. Dragonfire bolts were named as such because of the gout of flame each bolt released upon detonation. Such rounds cared little for cover, and soon enough, many a Guardsman who had not been incinerated by the impact of the bolts desperately attempted to quench themselves. Grisly screams were heard from the trench.

Before Akileus even had time to fire his first volley, storm bolter fire from his squad had killed the remaining Stormtroopers. The Sternguard used his opportunity to break from cover, nodding to Akileus and his squad as they moved up to wipe the next trench clean. Akileus' squad followed suit, marching in front of Nicolaus' scouts, who had already packed up their sniper rifles, awaiting a new target.

* * *

><p>Akileus stormed further up the entrenched hill. The Governor's palace were coming up on them, a massive rockrete fortress with the Imperial aquila nestled on the top, bristling with firepower that could rival a Baneblade. This would not be easy.<p>

"Scout Squad Ahzek reporting massive formation of both light and heavy Imperial Guard tanks moving through the crater on the west."

Akileus' heart started racing. He'd forgotten about the tank push! He only hoped that Captain Thule had made appropriate arrangements.

"Very well. Techmarines, prepare the counter-push. Brother Akileus, deep-striking reinforcements to your location."

Akileus blinked for a second, and as he finished, a Librarian stood before him, his face covered by a helmet. Like Akileus and his brothers, the Librarian donned Terminator armor, though his was coated in the blue of the Lexicanum. In his hands he brandished a great Force Staff, a storm bolter attached to his arm. He nodded at Akileus and his brothers and lifted his palms.

Light enveloped Akileus and his brothers, and his guts began to wrench as the world around him spun. Moments later, Akileus arrived at the east side of the battlefield, on the hill overlooking the crater, the wide pathway ahead of them one of the last remaining entry points for the Leman Russ tanks, should they opt to attack the Blood Ravens from the front.

Akileus quickly scanned his surroundings, noticing the presence of the squad of Assault Terminators as well. Though they had seen the most heavy fighting, judging by the status of their armor, the squad numbered as many as it had at the dawn of the battle. With them stood Jerosus, still in his power armor, force sword held in his hand, psychic energy dancing around the blade, plasma pistol still smoking after a recent kill. He looked dourly at the assembled marines.

Captain Gaius stood amongst them, storm shield hefted and the Fist of the Father already slick with blood. He looked ready for battle as ever.

"Our mission will be to hold off any advancing reconnaisance vehicles long enough for our Techmarines to finish convincing the Titan Cannon's machine spirit to fight with us. Akileus, your squad will take position on the high ground. Anything that exposes its flank armor for so much as a second, send a barrage down on their heads. Sergeant, your squad will take position in the breach itself. Your thunder hammers should at the very least hold any vehicle that comes within range. Jerosus will remain with you to screen you against attacks that could potentially penetrate your heavy armor." He pointed at the other Terminator sergeant and Jerosus, who took up position behind his brothers. Gaius marched out in front, confident that his artificer armor would keep him as safe as any suit of heavy armor.

The other Librarian, his face still distorted by the helmet, took place with Akileus' squad. Akileus guessed he was there to clean up any infantry that would be marching with the tanks. The Librarians commanded fearsome psychic might, and just a few demonstrations of their power should kill or rout nearly any enemy.

Soon enough, Captain Thule's concerns were valided with a rattle of engines. Soon enough, two Bane Wolves came up, their main cannon dripping with poisonous chemicals already. They were closing distance with the marines fast, a dozen Guardsmen using the heavy tanks as cover on their advance.

The Librarian lifted his palm then, and jolts of lightning began to spring from his palm, flying down towards the unfortunate Guardsmen. Four of them were instantly electrocuted, three more stopped and jerked awkwardly, and the rest stopped to take stock of the situation. This would turn out to be a mistake, as four storm bolters and Akileus' assault cannon made mincemeat out of the rest of them.

The Assault Terminators had moved up on the Bane Wolves now, and the first one lifted his Thunder Hammer to strike, bringing the concussive power weapon down on the weapon's hull. The force of the impact with the immovable Space Marine made the Bane Wolf tip forward, one of its crewmembers falling out of the gaping hole left in the tank. The frightened crew member quickly abandoned his tank and rain away. A shot from Jerosus' plasma pistol finished him off for good. Even from this distance Akileus could see the contemptuous sneer on Jerosus' face.

The second Bane Wolf came up now, and soon enough, its chem cannon opened up, hoping to bathe the Terminators in poisonous chemicals. An effective tactic, had the Terminators been alone. In that instant, Jerosus lifted his force sword and chanted, and soon enough the Terminators and himself were enveloped in a powerful barrier, the chemicals splashing off the shield, striking the environment around them. In that moment, Akileus opened fire on the weakened side armor of the tank. Though each slug from his assault cannon was little more than the sting of a fly against even the side armor of a Bane Wolf, quantity had a quality all of its own, and soon enough, the furious roar of his assault cannon had struck something critical. The Bane Wolf exploded then, its toxic chemicals mixing with the promethium in its ruptured fuel tank. A massive cloud of red and green sparked up from the wreckage of the tank. However, Akileus knew that these were only the advance waves. Soon, the Leman Russ tanks would come, and with them would come the plasma weaponry that was anathema to Terminators. He hoped the Techmarines could fix the cannon fast.

"Stand back, Space Marines. The Titan cannon is about to fire" came Davian Thule's voice from the vox. Instantly, Akileus' eyes diverted themselves towards the crater, and soon enough, he noticed an eerie sound in the air, like a thousand humming voices in some disharmonious choir.

Then, the flash.

Akileus had fought alongside Titans before. He knew very well what sort of terrifying power the sacred vehicles of the Adeptus Mechanicus could muster. Yet nothing in all his centuries of experience as a Space Marine could prepare him for this.

Like the roar of an angry god, the Imperator Titan's weapon fired. With it followed a brief, bright flash, completely blinding Akileus, in spite of both his auto-senses and the protection of his helmet. When the flash disappeared and Akileus once more opened his eyes, he saw nothing. Where before, there had been roars of tanks, revving of engines and the angry cries of hundreds of Guardsmen crying out for vengeance, there was nothing.

It is as if there was never a threat to begin with, Akileus thought to himself, his eyes wide open in awe.

"Enemy tanks terminated", Akileus heard Captain Gaius say, no doubt addressing Captain Thule through the vox. Soon enough, the Terminator-armored arm of the nameless Librarian was on his shoulder, and once more they were wisked away. When Akileus had regained his composure, he was on the battlefront.

* * *

><p>There was not much resistance left now. Davian Thule and his company had cleaned up the remaining resistance near the Governor's palace. When Akileus finally found Davian Thule, he found him outside of the Governor's palace. Six figures kneeled underneath him, their hands tied. One of them was unmistakably Lukas Alexander. The short-cropped blonde hair, the cybernetic in place of his right eye and the medals on his chest betrayed him before his general's uniform did. He was a pitiful sight then, his eyes fixated on the ground, his body visibly trembling, almost as if he was about to break into tears. The five others, Akileus assumed, were his command staff. Each one carried a score of medals, and each looked as frightened as their commander. Smoke rose from the Governor's palace, and everything within range had been razed to the ground. The Emperor's work had been done this day. It was finally over.<p>

Hector and Castor flanked Captain Thule this time, Ajas standing behind. Endymion was engaged in conversation with Mikelus, no doubt arranging a post-battle sermon, and Gordian was no doubt overseeing a construction of a medical bay.

"Governor-Militant Lukas Alexander, you are charged with attempting to interfere with the autonomy of the Space Marines, as dictated by the Primarch Roboute Guilliman at the end of the Horus Heresy. What have you to say in your defense?"

"What are you hiding?", the Governor-Militant said, attempting to mask his shaking voice as best he could. He looked up at Davian Thule with the last shred of defiance in his body.

"A question I should be asking you, Governor-Militant. You broke the laws of military conduct, not us. Had you requested our aid instead of demanding it, we would gladly have helped you conquer this system. Unfortunately, your pride forced us to do this. I assure you that there is not a single man under my direct command who -wished- for this confrontation."

The Governor-Militant contemplated the ground again. Then, his body started shaking uncontrollably, and a tear fell from his face.

"How could I have let this happen? This was my first solo operation. Sturmm thought I was ready for this. My first chance to show my full competency, to show everyone that I was ready for my promotion, and history will remember me as a failure who ired a Space Marine chapter and paid for it."

"History will remember you for what you were, Governor-Militant. Foolish, but a great speaker. Though you may have lost, you nonetheless mustered your men for an attack on their angels, their saviors. Though there can still only be one mercy for the traitor." Hector, who stood by the Captain's side, handed him his sidearm, and Thule pointed it at the Governor-Militant's head.

"The mercy of death" he said, the bolt round exploding inside the skull of Lukas Alexander, sending blood and brain matter flying in all sides. His staff all averted their eyes in that moment, a look of disgust replacing their earlier looks of fear.

"Captain Gaius, I want you to oversee the execution of the remnants of the platoon that rebelled against their general. I also want you to see to it that the Guardsmen who remained, as well as all of their remaining equipment, is shipped off-world. Perhaps they can be folded into another regiment. Brother Akileus, please execute the rest of the command staff." Thule began moving towards Endymion and Mikelus himself, looking away from his bloody handiwork.

Akileus nodded and revved his assault cannon. Seconds later, only bloody giblets remained to remind Akileus that there had once been people in front of him. He sighed deeply. He hated doing headsman's work like this.

In the distance, Akileus heard more death screams. Captain Gaius worked efficiently, it seemed. He'd already started the executions of the men who betrayed their commander.

Akileus did not want to think more on this. Right now, he wanted to find Nicolaus' squad, tell the Scouts a tale or two, and calm down. The events of this day had left him more melancholic than he thought, and he had no wish to see any more of the grisly executions that followed unnecessary battles like these.

However, the roar of a gunship engine quickly made him regain his composure. He looked skyward, the auspex in his helmet desperately searching for whatever made the noise, and soon enough, something came into view.

By Imperial standards, it was a slick craft. Clearly built on the model of the Thunderhawk, albeit significantly smaller, the gunship was gunmetal grey, and on its wings were painted the stylized I that marked it as belonging to the Holy Order of the Emperor's Inquisition.

Never a dull moment, Akileus thought, as his sergeant motioned for them to greet the Inquisitorial ship as it made its descent.

* * *

><p>The passenger aboard the ship was an even greater enigma. Clad in a suit of heavy gilded Artificer Armor created for a human, a middle-aged looking man stepped out of the craft, arms behind his back. The right side of his face was a complex pattern of tattoos that seemed to spell something out, though Akileus was not sure what.<br>Behind the man marched two Stormtroopers, hellguns at the ready. Their faces were distorted by gas masks.

"Blood Ravens", the man said, his voice deep and authoritative.

"Inquisitor" Davian Thule replied. Behind him, Ajas kept a hand on the pommel of his power sword.

"My name is Aeneas. As you no doubt discerned from my craft, I am a member of the Holy Order of the Emperor's Inquisition. More specifically, I am a representative of the Ordo Malleus, eternal enemies of the Enemy Beyond." He shook his head disapprovingly at Ajas, who nodded slightly and removed his hand from his power sword. There was no need to appear as if they were threatening the Inquisitor.

"I must say, Inquisitor, your timing is uncanny. Minutes after we execute a traitor general and his forces, you appear."

"Oh, rest assured, I have no quarrel with you over this. I merely wanted to contact you because you are now the only remaining Imperial forces on this planet. And whether or not the Governor-Militant was a traitor is not a relevant part of this discussion. The fact remains that you are not just dealing with Chaos insurgents on this planet, Captain Thule. You face Eliphas the Inheritor, a leader of a particularly large band of the treacherous Word Bearers, and a particularly large thorn in the side of my Ordo."

"No matter the size of his warband, he will nonetheless be defeated." Captain Thule retorted, giving the Inquisitor a reassuring nod.

"Perhaps. But there is no reason for you to go alone when I can call in specialists to help you." The Inquisitor brought a vox to his ear.

"Deploy the Hammer."

Moments later, in a bright flash of light, six warriors stood before the Blood Ravens. Each of them was clad in gunmetal grey power armor of a pattern that Akileus knew was exceedingly rare amongst the Imperium. Their helmets had been shaped into great masks, and their eyes shone bright blue. Four of them carried great two-handed weapons, sheathed over their shoulders, and one carried a strange-looking weapon, no doubt a heavy weapon of similar functionality to a heavy bolter."

The last of them stood almost a head taller than the others, clad in a suit of what Akileus could only assume was Terminator Armor. In his hands, he carried a great hammer of similar pattern to the swords, and on his hand was a great flamer-looking weapon, the two igniters shining with a bright blue flame.  
>"The warriors of the Inquisition are yours to command", the front Grey Knight said to the Inquisitor.<p>

The Inquisitor nodded at the Grey Knight. "Paladin, I am leaving you and your squad with the Blood Ravens. You will march for the Deimos Peninsula immediately to do battle with the heretics on this planet." He looked over at Captain Thule. "When we caught word of the reappearance of the Word Bearers in this sector, I called for some additional assistance. Thankfully, a Strike Squad of Grey Knights lead by paladin Gawain here were in range to respond. They'll be with you for the remainder in this campaign. I trust you will not waste their potential."

Davian Thule frowned slightly at the Grey Knights, and then nodded at Aeneas. "I will not, Inquisitor. After our post-battle sermon, we will move for the Deimos Plateau immediately."

"Thank you, Captain Thule. I leave the safety of Kronus in your hands."

"It will be in good hands, then", Castor burst out. No doubt he had a slight smile on his face underneath his helmet. The Inquisitor looked back at him with furrowed brows.

"So I hope, Sergeant. So I sincerely hope."

* * *

><p>Commentary:<p>

Whoo, this thing took longer than expected. Sorry for the long wait.

So, as I said, this wraps up the Imperial Guard part of the story. Next time this story updates, it'll be on to Chaos!


	8. The Dreadnought

A blasted hellscape. Those were the only words Akileus felt could describe the Deimos Peninsula.

He could smell the stench of Chaos before he even set foot on the peninsula. The stench of corruption, decay and blood was noticable from miles away. The very air he breathed felt thick and sluggish before he'd even set foot in this place. And now that he had, he saw just how much damage had been done.

The whole region was completely without vegetation. As far as Akileus could see, which, even with his enhanced senses, was not far, the ground was blasted and red, with not so much as a single tree sticking up from the ground. The earth seemed completely barren, and even seemed to glow, as if the very ground itself had been subject to the foul transformations of Chaos. The stench of rot had only gotten stronger now.

One thing that did not elude Akileus, however, was the fact that even here, in the middle of the gorge that was about to become the Blood Ravens' staging area, there were crude crosses everywhere, with people who, judging by their clothing, had been from all walks of life, nailed to them, the eight-pointed star of Chaos branded on their forehead in a grotesque tribute to the Ruinous Powers. These crosses stretched as far as the eyes could see, and Akileus reeled in disgust. This would be different from Victory Bay. At Victory Bay, they had fought an unnecessary war against those who could have been their allies. This was going to be a righteous slaughter of those who'd turned their backs on the Emperor. This would be war.

"You sense the influence as well, brother Akileus?"

Akileus turned his head to look at Captain Thule, sitting next to him onboard the Land Raider Crusader. He shrugged lightly, currently sitting in a suit of power armor, having left his Tactical Dreadnought Armor in the care of the Techmarines until they could assess the damage the suit had suffered against the Guard. Though he felt liberated by the lighter suit of regular power armor, he felt ever so much more vulnerable without his assault cannon.

"I do, Captain Thule. This whole place seems to eke for a slaughter. As if whatever blasted creatures in the area scream for blood."

"We fight Word Bearers, brother Akileus. Their greatest weapon is their strong ties with the daemonic servants of Chaos. No doubt this place has already seen the touch of those vile creatures."

Akileus nodded. Eliphas the Inheritor, Aeneas had said. Chapter records showed little information about this particular heretic, but like every Space Marine in service of the Imperium, Akileus knew of the progeny of Lorgar.

"We have been given an opportunity to bring justice to the Emperor's foes. Why are you all so glum?", Castor suddenly said, while in the process of examining his plasma gun. Captain Thule looked at him for a second, his one eyebrow slightly raised.

"That is true, Castor, but we must also remember that we fight a campaign here. After this, there will be other battles, other xeno species that must be purged from this world. Even if we fight our archenemy, we must do so cautiously, or we end up taking too many casualties. Unlike nearly every enemy we face on this world, we cannot replenish our forces, and I suspect this will be the hardest fight of all."

Castor nodded. Akileus suspected that Castor had only meant to lighten the mood, but he was known to be a glory hound, and Thule would not abide recklessness in his own command squad, not with so much at stake.

Endymion and Ajas were engaged in their own conversation, evidently discussing the merits of a thunder hammer over a power sword, and what equipment served as the best counterbalance to their respective weapons. It was a heated conversation, and Akileus suspected that the argument would never stop so long as both of them still drew breath.

"Surely, Ajas, even you can appreciate the beauty of a thunder hammer from a perspective of leadership. While the weapon may not be as practical for one-on-one fights as a power sword, you must admit its power as a rallying tool." Endymion said.

"While that may be, Endymion, your rallying point will only do you good if you survive to rally your men. And I seem to remember that we have company banners for rallying," came Ajas' retort.

"Even then, the thunder hammer is a destructive weapon beyond compare, and in a command squad like ours, surely versatility amounts to something."

"I cannot disagree, but that still makes it a weapon with a very singular use."

"Surely you're not arguing that a power sword can destroy a tank."

"With the right equipment, a warrior armed with a power sword can easily deal with tanks."

"And thus we're brought back to the issue of equipment..."

"As much as I appreciate your debates on the finer arts of combat, Ajas, Endymion, you have had this discussion for the last several decades under my command, and you've never reached consensus. Can we, once and for all, reach some sort of consensus on this?" Davian Thule's blunt statement interrupted the conversation.

Both veterans looked at their captain for a second and shook their heads in unison. This was their ritual before an important battle like this. Endymion had told Akileus that it was their way of calming any anxiety before the battle. As Akileus himself knew well himself, the worst part was not the battle, but the waiting before battle. A debate, empty as it might be, was still preferable to silence.

* * *

><p>The Land Raider suddenly opened its doors. As the assault hatches on the front blew open, Thule's command squad and Akileus' sternguard squad blasted out the doors, boltguns, bolt pistol and plasma weaponry at the ready from the get-go. Behind them, Akileus could hear the sound of several more ramps opening, and soon enough two Tactical Squads stood ready behind them, already checking for targets and searching for cover. They knew it would not be very long before the Inheritor found them. Captain Thule had chosen not to deploy in full strength, leaving him with about forty marines on the ground supported by two mighty Predator tank, one of each pattern. They were on each side of the Crusader's flank, weapons at the ready. The rest remained behind to be dropped in through orbital insertion or by Drop Pod, as to keep his tactical options open. On top of this, Nicolaus' scout squad had been deployed ahead of time to scour the fields, though they'd not been heard of for quite some time. Akileus suspected that this unholy place had interfered with their communications.<p>

"Hear my warnings, unbelievers, carried to your minds by the power of the Prince of Excess himself!"

Akileus' two hearts jumped. The heretic spoke to them. He could see his fellow marines clutching their heads as well, attempting to shut out the foul voice of the traitor, whomever he was.

"It was most unwise of you, loyalists, to send your untrained ahead. Rest assured that they will not be tormented long. They will be a worthy sacrifice to our gods."

So Nicolaus and his Scouts had been captured. That explained the silence on their part. This did not bode well. They'd have to be rescued.

"Veterans of ten millennia of unholy war wait to grind you beneath the treads of their mighty boots. The chosen of Khorne hunger to add you to their bloody tally! The Blood God himself has marked this land, and he will claim your skulls for his throne. There is no hope in opposing the inevitable. Cower before the might of the Fourth Inheriting!"

As soon as the traitor, no doubt the eponymous Eliphas had finished his speech, Akileus noticed something that caught his eye immediately.

From both sides of the gorge, hundreds of heretics dashed down from both ends of the gorge, cruel blades in one hand and a mixture of laspistols and autoguns in the other. Each of them was clad in a dark red robe with the eight-pointed star branded on their foreheads. They ran down, screaming on the top of their collective lungs, filling the air with noise.

"Do not falter, brothers. This heretic's word will not deter us from our cause, and neither will his army of heretics. We will not fail our Emperor or our unknown father. We will stand our ground, and we will stand victorious." With those words, Captain Thule lifted his power sword in one hand and his bolt pistol in another as he began firing into the horde of heretics continuing undeterred towards the Space Marine lines. Soon enough, the two Tactical Squads began picking their targets with expert precision as well as bolt shells and missiles began detonating amongst the horde, each explosion tearing at least one heretic apart.

Yet the heretics continued onwards, firing las-rounds and autogun shells at the marines, and though their weapons were highly ineffective, the bullets and las-rounds fell like rain over the Space Marines, most of which were still out of cover. One marine fell before the Tactical Marines could seek cover behind their Rhinos.

Then, with a mighty roar of engines, the Land Raider came to life. The hurricane bolter sponsons on both its sides soon began to fire at a blistering pace, sending out bolt shells with the fury of a full Tactical Squad. Meanwhile, the twin-linked assault cannon on its top was also sending out fire at a blistering pace, and more heretics fell, torn into bloody giblets by the fury of the assault cannon.

Some of the cultists broke and fell back then, running away, their screams of fury turned to screams of abject terror. Others continued undeterred in a blood-soaked tide of foes.

It was then that Akileus realized why the earth around them was red. Deimos Peninsula was soaked in the blood of hundreds of thousands, if not millions of Imperial citizens, those who had not been willing to submit to the lure of Chaos Gods. Those who had remained faithful had been killed here, their blood sacrificed to appease the hungry gods. His heart sunk at the thought before he lifted his boltgun himself. His sergeant shouted "Dragonfire rounds", and all of them flicked a switch on their boltguns. A second later, the fire selector was in place, and in unison, Akileus and his Sternguard brethren opened fire. Wherever their rounds fell, a gust of flame appeared not soon after, and soon enough, scores of cultists were burning, some falling down, and others charging forward, already far beyond pain. It would not be long until their lines were overrun.

As Akileus continued to fire down the line of heretics with accurate volleys of bolter fire, he could just make out the outline of Captain Thule's command squad, now engaged in close combat with the enemy. Hector lifted the company banner high, and by his side stood Castor, now armed with a combat blade, desperately fending off the heretics that were getting ever closer. Gordian was fighting as well, chainsword in one hand and bolt pistol in the other, taking potshots at the heretics when he was not engaged with one in combat.

It could not be denied, however, that it was Endymion, Thule and Ajas who lead the charge. While Endymion fought primarily with mighty, heavy swings of his Thunder Hammer, knowing that in the tide of heretics swarming them, he would inevitably hit something, Ajas fought with a measure of dexterity and masterful swordsmanship.

None of them seemed to be able to match the enflamed zealotry of Davian Thule, however. Eliphas' open challenge seemed to have steered the normally calm, measured Captain Thule into a holy frenzy. Thule had discarded his bolt pistol and had taken a two-handed grip on his blade, striking with furious blows that knew little finesse. The sword of Alexian the Hero was almost completely red, slick with the blood of the scores of people who lay before the command squad in a mound.

Yet for all their fury, the command squad was getting overwhelmed. For each of the frenzied, bloodthirsty heretics they killed, three more took their place, and still they came streaming down the hill, unfazed by the massive amounts of fire the marine strike force was bringing to bear.

It was then that Akileus' sergeant, a Space Marine named Antenor, sheathed his boltgun. Without so much as a word, he lifted the heavy power fist he used as an emergency weapon and pointed towards the command squad. Without a word, the Sternguard squad drew their sidearms and combat blades, and battle was joined. Inspired by the sudden charge of the Sternguard, one of the Tactical Squads followed suit, while the other stayed in position. Akileus swore he could make out Sergeant Tarkus at the very front of the squad, instructing a marine armed with a heavy bolter.

Then, battle was joined. Akileus charged into a heretic, lamenting once more the loss of his suit of Terminator armor as the first impact was noticably less potent than he would have wished. He drove his combat blade through the back of a cultist, killing it instantaneously, and immediately brought his blade up to parry another. Though Akileus did not have the same training as his Vanguard brethren, he was no slouch with his combat blade. None of them were.

His squad had already ripped itself into the cultist horde, tearing at it with blades when the heretics were close, and with close-range bolt pistol fire whenever they were not. With twenty power-armored marines now engaged in melee, the tide of cultists seemed less overwhelming, if no less endless.

"Captain Thule to Litany of Fury. Summon the ancients!"

The sound of the Captain's voice lightened Akileus' spirits immensely. The Fourth Company's Dreadnoughts would no doubt turn the tide of this battle. He grabbed his combat knife in reverse grip and slashed open the throat of a heretic, bringing up his power-armored hand to parry the blow of another. The heretics' weapons were by no means powerful, but he still chastised himself for taking the risk. There was no need to be foolish.

He took a moment of opportunity to survey the battlefield. One of his own squad mates had gone down, a mono-edged blade through his throat. Akileus was not sure if he still breathed until one of his other squad members pulled out the blade and the downed marine jerked slightly. He'd need medical attention immediately after the fight. He saw three tactical marines fall as well, two of them with blasted power armor, one with several blades embedded in his armpit.

It was still no use. Even with the added combat ability of the Sternguard and the tactical squad, the line was still too weak. There was no way they would hold against these many cultists with this little fire support. They needed to bolster the line quickly.

Then suddenly, he heard the first shriek. Like the sound of a missile hitting the ground, the first drop pod struck the ground, crushing untold numbers of heretics in its descent. Instantly the drop pod's doors crashed outward, and out marched a mighty Dreadnought, armed with an assault cannon in place of its left arm and a power fist in its right, under which was slung what was unmistakably a heavy flamer. The walker then hammered its close combat weapon downward, causing the ground to tremble, as it let out its first burst of promethium. Immediately, a dozen heretics perished in the flames, their bodies singed beyond recognition. The massive form then charged forward towards Captain Thule, stomping on or knocking back anything that stood in its way.

"I come to kill...the enemies of man", the Dreadnought said.

"Venerable Brother Glaucus." With this sudden moment of respite in the heat of battle, Captain Thule seemed to regain his composure. For a second it even looked like he was smiling.

Glaucus had been captain of the Fourth Company long ago, long before even Captain Thule's predecessor. Though far from one of the oldest dreadnoughts in the chapter, he was nonetheless a venerated figure amongst the Fourth Company.

The massive figure turned from Thule again and lifted his assault cannon, bringing death amongst the tightly packed cultists, much as the Land Raider's assault cannon had done before. Whenever any heretics got close to him, a feat which Akileus could only attribute to sheer luck, Glaucus was more than able to handle them with his power fist.

The presence of the dreadnought on the battlefield seemed to have had a reinvigorating effect on the marines on the ground. The tactical squads, now disengaged from their combat duties, feeling that a dreadnought would no doubt be more destructive than they would ever be in close combat, began opening fire with renewed vigor, their bolters felling even more of the cultists. Akileus' squad also disengaged, and though they only numbered four marines now, the Sternguard still took a heavy toll on the enemy.

"Captain Thule to Litany of Fury. We need to press our advantage. Deploy Avitus' Devastators!"

* * *

><p>Soon enough, two drop pods fell down from the sky. As one of them blew its hatches, Devastator Squad Avitus, each member of the five-man squad carrying heavy bolters, quickly ran into cover and braced their heavy weapons. Soon enough, the thumping of the heavy calibre bolt shells joined the choir of death. From the other squad, on the other hand, Captain Gaius disembarked. Flanking him were the new five remaining members of the originally ten-man sized squad of Vanguard Veterans. Each of them carried the same equipment as their commander, a power sword in one hand and a storm shield in the other. Gaius himself wore the Fist of the Father and a storm shield as well. He lifted the sacred power fist and pointed a finger outward. Before he even had the time to say a battle cry, the Vanguard Veterans joined the fray.<p>

It was a thing of beauty when the heavily armed veterans joined the fray. The devastating charge of six synchronized, power-armored bodies, coupled with the accurate placement of a series of frag grenades gave them ample room to charge, and as soon as the veterans had joined the fray, there was no doubt they would win. Gaius pushed himself forward with mighty swings of his power fist, while the vanguard veterans went forward with their shields extended in front, stabbing or executing smaller swings, shoulder to shoulder, gradually pushing the heretics back until they had enough room to fight properly. Now united in the fray with Davian Thule's command squad, the enemy was slowly being pushed back. The tide was finally turning.

Then, as if they had suddenly all had the same dawning realization, what remained of the sorely decimated horde fell back. It started as a few isolated incidents, people running back to avoid the dreadnought's flames or the Land Raider's bolters, but then slowly, but surely, it started. Soon enough, they were all fleeing, yelling and crying incoherently as they fled the scene of the battle, no doubt to be executed by their masters. Akileus found it hard to care for their fates. They'd chosen the eight pointed star. They'd slaughtered their own people. There was no mercy in Akileus' heart reserved for the traitor.

"Gordian, see to the wounded. Thule to Litany of Fury, we require an Apothecarion on the ground. We have got six marines in urgent need of medical attention, and three that require the recovery of their gene-seed"

Six? Before, Akileus had only counted one wounded marine, his own squad mate. As the dust settled, however, he noticed that Hector and Castor had both suffered grievous blows. Hector's helmet was destroyed, and half of his right cheek was missing after a sword went clear through it. Castor had several wounds on his shoulder, one of the creaks in his power armor opened by numerous sword blows. The arm hung limply by his side. Though both would live, it would take extensive surgery.

Two of Tarkus' tactical marines had been wounded as well, their body armor penetrated by a proverbial rain of lasgun fire that Akileus was not convinced even Terminator Armor would have held against. Small autogun pellets had embedded themselves in their flesh as well, and no doubt they would need to be treated for infection. There was no telling what kind of unholy warp-dabbling was afoot here, and they couldn't risk open wounds in an environment so touched by the Dark Gods.

"Armory to squad Antenor, your Terminator Armor is ready. Extraction is coming to bring you to the Litany of Fury, that you may be properly equipped,", Akileus' vox blared.

"Acknowledged, armory. Awaiting extraction", Antenor replied. He looked back at the remnants of his squad as they now were. Each of them had dented power armor in many places, scorched patches where their power armor's grey color was visible, and a few of them had superficial wounds that their Larraman's cells would quickly heal. They had gotten away with less casualties than Akileus would have expected, even from a veteran squad.

"Now if only we'd been slightly better we wouldn't have needed the help of our so-called vanguard veteran brothers, eh?" Antenor said, removing his helmet so the others could see the wide grin on his face. Antenor was not one to remain morose for long.

"The techmarines could've just given me an assault cannon and I would have routed the heretics on my own", Akileus said, half in jest and half in a serious tone. He could not wait to be back in a suit of heavier armor.

"Akileus, if they'd given you an assault cannon, Captain Thule's cape would have so many holes in it you'd think an ork had aimed for his head."

"You wound me, Antenor."

Akileus could feel the adrenaline of the battle slowly eking out of his body as the argument continued.

This was going to be the decisive battle for Kronus. All other engagements, he believed, would be secondary to this. This would be the last great push for control over this accursed world.

They would halt the Inheriting in its tracks on Kronus, no matter the cost.

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><p>Yay, I managed to get this chapter out in less than the space of a human lifetime!<p>

I originally wanted to do something special with this chapter, but that was pushed back to later in the story. For now, I just wanted to get another chapter of Space Marines fighting out there before we move on to some more dialogue-heavy chapters. Looking forward to it. As, I hope, are you.


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